The Costa Mesa Blog by Torelli Realty

Surprising Causes of Home Fires

The National Fire Protection Association estimates over 47,000 home fires reported to U.S. fire departments involved some type of electrical failure or malfunction as a factor contributing to ignition.

Fear not, celebrity-babble fans: With the 2017 Academy Awards less than one week away, Seacrest is still scheduled to pull himself together and fulfill his “Live From the Red Carpet” hosting duties on Sunday.

Rainfall as a fire starter is certainly unexpected, so we looked into some other unusual things that can go up in flames if you’re not careful.

The National Fire Protection Association estimates more than 47,000 home fires reported to fire departments involve some type of electrical failure or malfunction as a contributing factor. It may come as a surprise that rainfall can also be a contributing factor to some fires. Keep reading to learn surprising causes of home fires, and click this link to read the full article.

Dishwashers

You may already know that overheating dryers or ovens can cause fires. But dishwashers have water, and water puts out fires, right? Wrong! Most dishwasher fires are caused by liquids coming into contact with the machine’s wires.

And dishwashers can do some serious damage. Data obtained from 2010 to 2012 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated the average residential property loss due to a dishwasher fire was $11.2 million.

“Any device that powers a motor, heating element, or sometimes both in the same appliance always has a higher propensity for fire—and dishwashers are a common example,” says Joe Torrillo, a firefighter who served in the New York City Fire Department for 25 years. “They should never be turned on when going to sleep or leaving the home.”

Jars and other glass objects

Survival enthusiasts say one of the best ways to start a fire is to use a piece of glass to refract sunlight onto dry wood. If you’re not careful, that same scientific process can happen on your own kitchen table.

In 2015 a fire broke out in a southwest London home because of sun rays reflecting through an empty Nutella jar, the Associated Press reported. A representative from the fire brigade’s investigative unit acknowledged how bizarre the cause of fire seemed, but confirmed that the glass jar of hazelnut spread was to blame. Yikes!

While the chances of this happening in your home are slim, it’s important to remember to never store flammable liquids like gasoline, cleaning fluids, paint thinners, and even cooking oils in glass jars you plan on leaving out in the sunlight. Instead, Torrillo recommends using metal cans for commercial-use flammable liquids; plastic containers also suffice for cooking oils.

The Maloneys

"Thank you so much for all your help in buying our lovely new home. Lending us money, babysitting and unpacking...

5.0

2014-12-15T08:40:33+00:00

"Thank you so much for all your help in buying our lovely new home. Lending us money, babysitting and unpacking my kitchen are truly “full service” benefits of Torelli Realty!! You were a joy to work with and I can’t thank you enough. We will surely refer you to anyone."

http://torellirealty.com/testimonials/test/

Albert Nguyen & Thuy Thanh, Costa Mesa

Valerie is one of the best real estate agents we have ever met. We interviewed a couple agents and most...

5.0

2015-04-14T20:54:28+00:00

Valerie is one of the best real estate agents we have ever met. We interviewed a couple agents and most of them just talked about their marketing strategies which were very similar to each others. Valerie went beyond that with her amazing ability to come up with many creative ideas to make our house look in its best condition. She even shared the cost for changing the house to the way she felt most attractive. We knew Valerie would be the right one to help us but we had never thought Valerie could sell our house in one day of showing. Valerie, thank you for the great work. You are the best.

http://torellirealty.com/testimonials/albert-nguyen-thuy-thanh/

David Rich, Costa Mesa

03/30/2015 - David Rich Bought a Single Family home in 2015 in Costa Mesa, CA. Valerie located an off-market home...

5.0

2015-04-14T20:48:51+00:00

03/30/2015 - David Rich Bought a Single Family home in 2015 in Costa Mesa, CA. Valerie located an off-market home for my wife and myself in 2015. Her knowledge of real estate, desire to meet our home expectations, and work ethic allowed my wife and I to find a single family home in the desirable area of East Side Costa Mesa for less than $700k. We closed on time without any hassle. If you are committed to working with an agent of the highest integrity, look no further than Valerie Torelli, she will make it happen for you and your family!

http://torellirealty.com/testimonials/david-rich/

Mike Drake, California

I have worked with Valerie and Torelli Realty for over 25 years she has handled all of my purchases sales...

5.0

2015-01-28T21:11:54+00:00

I have worked with Valerie and Torelli Realty for over 25 years she has handled all of my purchases sales and property management needs. I would recommend them to anyone needed a great realtor. Awesome service!!!!

http://torellirealty.com/testimonials/mike-drake-california/

Margaret Lether, Costa Mesa

Family home of 50 years needed to be sold and was handled with sensitivity and respect. First meeting with Valerie...

5.0

2015-01-28T21:06:01+00:00

Family home of 50 years needed to be sold and was handled with sensitivity and respect. First meeting with Valerie was impressive with printed information regarding all aspects of process. Immediate action was taken with feedback from open house showings. Adjustments were made and the home sold quickly within the range expected. I received updates, responses and was kept in the loop at all times. Escrow handled complicated, multi party transaction perfectly. Overall experience was great.

http://torellirealty.com/testimonials/margaret-lether-costa-mesa/

The Savage Family

When we met with Valerie we knew instantly we were going to use her to sell our house. She was...

5.0

2015-10-27T14:31:46+00:00

When we met with Valerie we knew instantly we were going to use her to sell our house. She was a true go getter and very open and honest and we knew we could trust her and her entire staff. Valerie made a lot of promise's to us and she followed thru with every single one of them. If she said she was going to have someone drop off boxes or have someone help me pack then that's what she did. I will send all my friends and family to Valerie. We were working with Valerie already with the sell of our home so we decided to let them go ahead and have them help us with the purchase of our new home. I worked mostly with April O'neil and she was awesome. April listened to every detail of the dream house I was looking for and she did everything to help us find it. I feel her and I really connected and I can honestly say I found a friend in April. April and I would go out looking at houses and it felt so comfortable like 2 friends just out and about. She is a very easy going person and is very good at her job. April is also ok with telling you if she doesn't know the answer to something but she will get back to as soon as she finds out. April kept us informed and up to date every step of the process, she was very informative. Sometimes she would call just to say there was nothing new going on but she didn't want us to be worried because we had not herd from her in a couple of days. Seth works in the office as well and he was also very helpful, he came...

http://torellirealty.com/testimonials/the-savage-family/

KPS, Costa Mesa

Valerie Torelli and her dedicated team of professionals set the bar miles high when it comes to helping buyers and...

5.0

2015-01-28T20:56:48+00:00

Valerie Torelli and her dedicated team of professionals set the bar miles high when it comes to helping buyers and sellers achieve their goals. Torelli Realty understands how personal home buying is and they are there to help each step of the way. Their industry knowledge and experience is vast and they are more than willing to share their wisdom. Living in the Mesa Verde community, I have seen the excellent work Torelli has achieved. My neighbors bought their house from Val 17 years ago and they still remember how wonderful she was to work with. Torelli gives so much back to our local community as well with all of the amazing events they put on year after year. These events really cement the community ties that we enjoy here in Mesa Verde. A+!

http://torellirealty.com/testimonials/kps-costa-mesa/

Myron Miller, Costa Mesa

Over the years my family and I have used Valerie for 2 purchases and 4 sales. She and her staff...

5.0

2015-01-28T20:53:29+00:00

Over the years my family and I have used Valerie for 2 purchases and 4 sales. She and her staff have been great in all respects. Their advice and support has made every transaction go well. They stayed on top of everything and kept us up to date on what happening. I have used her and her advice for over 30 years and will continue to.

http://torellirealty.com/testimonials/myron-miller-costa-mesa/

Robert Wong, Costa Mesa

Wanted to write a review because we have known about Torelli for years having lived in Mesa Verde Valerie sold...

5.0

2015-01-28T20:52:36+00:00

Wanted to write a review because we have known about Torelli for years having lived in Mesa Verde Valerie sold us our home on Oriole Drive years ago and we are currently in escrow to sell it and closing in a few weeks. It has been a long haul but Valerie and her team did open houses and one time had a neighborhood "pub crawl" from house to house to get a buyer and get interest going in the neighborhood. Her team has creative ideas to make sales happen. We had several offers on our home and we waited for our price and got it. Torelli never pushed us while we worked on getting our "ducks lined up" and our timing in order. We did not feel pushed on our negotiation back and fourth and felt Valerie got us a great price. She is even helping us with the moving logistics. R. Wong, Oriole Drive, Costa Mesa

D. Hardesly, CA

"I just wanted to take a moment to thank you and your staff for helping me and John Rutler complete the...

5.0

2014-12-15T08:41:13+00:00

"I just wanted to take a moment to thank you and your staff for helping me and John Rutler complete the sale of my house. It was a pleasure working with you, and I will certainly recommend you highly to my many friends and family members who reside in Costa Mesa."

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